Have You Ghosted Your Art?

You've always wanted to create.

You felt you had an artistic side that was never allowed to see the light of day.

You had so many ideas you didn't know what to do with. You were bursting at the seams.

But you had to deal with the grind. You woke up, went to work or school, came home, slept, and did it all again. And again. 

Was there time to be an artist?

You weren't sure, but you had to try.

You found a little time here and there. Sometimes on the weekend, sometimes after work. Or maybe before work. It wasn't about money--you just wanted to do it for the love of painting or drawing or writing.

Maybe you set up a corner in your house with your supplies; easel, paints, pastels, drawing table, or writing desk. When you went out, your bag was full because you carried your sketchbook everywhere you went.

You got into a groove. 

You looked forward to that special time with your muse. Maybe you made some tea or coffee. Turned on your favorite music. You connected to the spirits of creativity and couldn't believe it was 4 am when you finally, covered in paint and exhilarated, put down your paint brush.

Sometimes your went to school or work exhausted, but it was worth it.

You found some "real" artists on social media. Their work was admirable. They had opinions about how to do art the right way. You must:

   • Fill a sketchbook every month.
   • Draw at least two hours a day.
   • Take a class. Or two. Or three.
   • Sign up for social groups with other artists.
   • Write 2,000 words a day.
   • Join Instagram, Facebook, and the social media site formerly known as Twitter
   • Start a blog and record everything you do for YouTube.
   • Have a gallery show within a year or else...

...you're not really an artist.

These suggestions can be important and helpful individually, but the world wide web dumps everything on us at once. Sometimes it's hard to know where to start and with what. 

So you followed and felt inspired...kinda.

By default you made some friends in the art world. 

You shared manuscripts or critiqued one another's art.

You started a few projects.

And then your friend got a publishing deal. Or a gallery show.

And you were over it.

Well--maybe not completely over it, but dread crept into the scenario. You felt a tap, tap, tap on your shoulder and the little voices began to ask...is this what you really what you really want to do with your time?

Suddenly you don't want to be an artist at all.

The magic vanished, and it was replaced with anxiety. 

So you ghosted your practice.

And it felt great.

You didn't feel guilty about not meeting the important art milestones social media had imposed. You got more sleep. And you were happy to see the friends and family that you had been neglecting because of your hobby.

You didn't want to even look at the painting you started. Or read your partially completed manuscript. You worked so hard on them! But it felt rebellious to ignore them...like homework you got away without doing.

You had brunch at the cafe, talked on the phone until your battery died, and admired your neat(ish) house.

A few weeks later you found yourself watching Seinfeld reruns and shopping on Amazon. Your artist's voice spoke to you again and asked why watching television was better than your art. Leave me alone! you thought. I'm calm.I'm relaxing! But as you walked past your art supplies or laptop, you felt a little tug at your creative heart.

But it was a tiny little yank--and it was easily ignored.

You didn't get an agent. Or a gallery show. Your friend did. 

(Even though she'd been practicing her craft for the past 20 years, you disregarded that logic for the time being.)

And you continued to ignore your calling for a few more weeks--or maybe months. You also ignored the gurus.

And you felt renewed...

...except for the fact that you desperately missed drawing. Or painting, writing, or sculpting.

So you started again--but this time you ignored the voices that made you feel less...they didn't do it on purpose after all. 

This time you take it slow.

You take your time and you get better at your art at your pace. You get better because you can't help but improve if you keep going.

One day you finish your first portrait or manuscript or drawing. 

It's not perfect, but it's yours, and it's done. 

And you can't wait to start the next one.

Just know that you'll probably hit a wall somewhere along the line in your art journey--and it's fine. In fact--you'll hit many. It's okay to stop and start again. You're not a failure. Take your time and enjoy every minute...even the imperfect moments. 

Listen to your muse...she's talking to you.

XO

(That voice that pulls you away from your destiny, according to Steven Pressfield, is called resistance. 

Read more about this amazing and terrible force in THE WAR OF ART.

And get creating.)

 

Your Work Style + Downloadable Shopping Page

Many writers and artists state that the first way to get things done is to have your butt in the chair. I think Steven Pressfield said it in The War of Art, and I took it very seriously.

In other words just be there, ready to work. I agree 100%.

I've had endless discussions with friends about this too--and we have come to the conclusion that you'll fail at everything you do not begin.

Of course.

But my question is: Do I get in the chair and STAY there?

After months of doing just that I find the answer is definitely MAYBE.

Actually it depends on the day.

There are days where I feel if I am interrupted I would cry, or at least be very upset at the disruption of the flow I am riding. Then there are other days where I feel if I don't get up and go somewhere I will get nowhere.

This is said after I did the butt in the chair thing exclusively for months. I fought every urge to go out for coffee, or meet a friend for lunch. I would not be able to jump up now if I were at an office, I would argue with myself. And I wouldn't. But that could be one of the reasons I do not work in an office, and was never meant to.

Don't get me wrong, I still get my hours in, but they might not be 9 to 5--in fact they may end at 2am, and that is fine with me. I do not allow myself to get distracted to the point where my work takes a back seat--I get my coffee, interact a bit, and get back to it. (Sometimes I get distracted by household stuff--pets, kids, bills, cooking, etc. Here is a shopping list page I created for myself to stay efficient, but I thought you might like it too. CLICK HERE to print :)

I think for some, sitting at the computer or canvas and working through a glitch works, for others the solution might be Starbucks or an episode of The Walking Dead. 

So to make a long blog post short, just because a famous writer or artist does their thing a certain way certainly does not mean you have to do the same.

Find your approach, and do it like a boss.

xo

Ah! Don't forget the art giveaway--click HERE to enter.